UDL

Cases for Study and Discussion (draft)

By
Christopher Shamburg, Ed.D.

UDL Guidelines page 2
UDL Case Studies 1-10 page 3
Answers page 5

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Universal Design for Learning Guidelines from CAST

NOTES
I.

Provide Multiple Means of Representation:

1.

Provide options for perception

Offer ways of customizing the display of information
Offer alternatives for auditory information
Offer alternatives for visual information

2.

Provide options for language, mathematical expressions, and symbols

Clarify vocabulary and symbols
Clarify syntax and structure
Support decoding of text, mathematical notation, and symbols
Promote understanding across language
Illustrate through multiple media

3.

Provide options for comprehension

Activate or supply background knowledge
Highlight patterns, critical features, big ideas, and relationships
Guide information processing, visualization, and manipulation
Maximize transfer and generalization

II. Provide Multiple Means for Action and Expression:

4.

Provide options for physical action

Vary the methods for response and navigation
Optimize access to tools and assistive technologies

5.

Provide options for expression and communication

Use multiple media for communication
Use multiple tools for construction and composition
Build fluencies with graduated levels of support for practice and
performance

6.

Provide options for executive functions

Guide appropriate goal setting
Support planning and strategy development
Facilitate managing information and resources
Enhance capacity for monitoring progress

III. Provide Multiple Means for Engagement:

7.

Provide options for recruiting interest

Optimize individual choice and autonomy
Optimize relevance, value, and authenticity
Minimize threats and distractions

8.

Provide options for sustaining effort and persistence

Heighten salience of goals and objectives
Vary demands and resources to optimize challenge
Foster collaboration and community
Increase mastery-oriented feedback

9.

Provide options for self-regulation

Promote expectations and beliefs that optimize motivation
Facilitate personal coping skills and strategies
Develop self-assessment and reflection
CAST 2011

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Cases in UDL
Identify the Three Most Salient UDL Guidelines in Each Case using the numbers 1-9.
Case 1: Household Vocabulary .

UDL Guidelines _,________________________________
Ms. Fernandez teaches Spanish. She is introducing students to the vocabulary of the
household. She gives students a list of vocabulary words and four different optionsdraw a
diagram, create a short skit, write a poem, or create a comiceach must include the set of
household vocabulary words.


Case 2: Unlike Denominators

UDL Guidelines ________________________________
Mr. Kouse teaches a mathematics class. He notices that many students have problems adding
and subtracting fractions with unlike denominators. He gets a bunch of pebbles and puts them
in plastic mixing cups and demonstrates adding amounts with unlike denominators (e.g. 1/4 of a
cup and 3/8 of a cup). He sets this up as a station and rotates groups of students through as
other groups do different activities.


Case 3: Enacting Novels
UDL Guidelines ____________________________________
Mrs. Fodole teaches tenth-grade English. When reading novels and short stories, she notices
that many students get confused when characters are speaking to each other. Students are
unfamiliar with the conventions of dialogue in prose. She takes small excerpts from the book
and has the students write and act scripts from these sections. The students exchange their
scripts and enact the scenes.


Case 4: Feedback on Cards
UDL Guidelines _____________________________________
Ms. Baer is reviewing the scientific method in the Intro to Science Class. Whenever she lectures
for more than 5 minutes, she gives the students index cards with Y on one side and N on the
other. Before she moves on to a new concept or idea she asks the kids if they understand and
makes them all indicate by showing the Y or the N side of the card. Sometimes she re-teaches it
another way, or other times she addresses student questions one at a time. She aloes creates a
short action plan for each student to help them better attend and participate during lectures.


Case 5: Historic Tours

UDL Guidelines ___________________________________
Mr. Harrigan teaches American History. The students were asked to prepare a tour of a public
place that is important to them. The tour can be a brochure, audio recording, public
presentation. The teacher gives examples of each format. They can choose the place (a park, a
street, a restaurant). They need to include the history of this place as well as interviews with
people who have experiences at this place. As the students brainstorm and draft their tours, the
teacher includes suggestions to make the tour more interesting to potential tourists.

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Case 6: Figurative Language Contract UDL Guidelines _____________________________________
Mrs. Jones teaches ESL and is working on figurative language. She has 7 activities relating to
figurative language. She believes that students can do 4 of them to demonstrate mastery. Each
student must fill out a contract and indicate which 4 they will do. The students keep a checklist
and their work in a separate folder. Each day for the week Mrs. Jones will consult with students
on their progress through the checklist and contract, giving help and modifying the contract as
needed.

Case 7: Pictures and Labels UDL Guidelines _____________________________________
Mrs. Sibli teaches Biology. During the lab she notices that many students have trouble
remembering the terms for the equipment. Traditionally, students would have to pass a test on
these terms before they began labs, but she worries that that would take too long for this group
of students. On the written lab directions she inserts images of the pieces of equipment, and on
the equipment she places tags and labels with the names.

Case 8: Cheat Sheet
UDL Guidelines _______________________________
Ms. Anderson teaches chemistry. When she covers ionic and covalent bonds, she notices that
students have trouble remembering major relationships of the concepts and definitions. In the
textbook there is a full chapter of important information. She created a one page Cheat Sheet
that she gives to every student and had them staple inside of their notebook. She also keeps a
few laminated copies on her desk for kids who forget theirs.


Case 9: EROX Learning System UDL Guidelines ______________________________________
EROX is an adaptive learning system to help with math. The system consists of assessments,
practice problems, and tutorials that are customized to the characteristics of the learner. A
student will practice a skill. If she is proficient, she will move on to the next skill. If the student
is not proficient, she will practice with hints or see a video of a solution method. The students
home screen is a pie chart with segments of the different skills that show how much h of each
skill they have mastered. The goal is for students to autonomously organize their time and
resources to appropriately achieve their goal.


Case 10 Remixing Fables with Speech to Text UDL Guidelines ____________________________
Ms. Garcia is a 3rd Grade language arts teacher. Part of the curriculum is for kids to write their
own fables. Some students have difficulty with both handwriting and keyboarding., so she has
installed a speech to text program on several of the computers. So although all students will
produce a written document, they have options for physically getting the words to paper. Some
students have trouble beginning from scratch, she has given kids a list of fable beginnings,
characters, settings, scenarios, and morals, and encourages students to choose and remix these
critical features and big ideas while adding their own words at ideas at the computer stations.








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Answers


Case 1: Household Vocabulary

UDL Guidelines _3,5,7,_____________

Case 2: Unlike Denominators

UDL Guidelines __2,3,4,___________

Case 3: Enacting Novels


UDL Guidelines _____2,4,6,__________

Case 4: Feedback on Cards
UDL Guidelines ___5,8,9,________________

Case 5: Historic Tours

UDL Guidelines ___5,7,8,__________

Case 6: Figurative Language Contract UDL Guidelines __5,8,9,_____________

Case 7: Pictures and Labels UDL Guidelines ___1,2,3___________

Case 8: Cheat Sheet
UDL Guidelines ___1,3,8___________

Case 9: EROX Learning System UDL Guidelines ______6, 8, 9_____________

Case 10 Remixing Fables with Speech to Text UDL Guidelines ___3, 4, 7________

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